The Knight Foundation has put $620,000 in grant money toward its effort to support San Jose’s quest to be a more engaging place to live and work.

Danny Harris, the Knight Foundation’s program officer in San Jose, says one of the foundation’s goals is to create a “culture of yes” for the budding civic innovators who have been trying to reshape the city’s image into a walkable, urban hub for the Bay Area. That would be a welcome change from the red tape that strangles so many creative ideas and business plans early on.

Some of the 13 grants are straightforward funding for projects like expanding the “Summer in St. James Park” events that had people playing games, watching movies and generally enjoying the park last year or supporting Wreck Creation Studios’ plan to cover 40,000 square feet of blank downtown walls with murals. Others are more long-term investments like supporting Destination: Home and the Housing Trust’s efforts to tackle homelessness in Santa Clara County. (You can read about all the grants on the Knight Foundation’s website, http://tinyurl.com/ne3twpw).

GOOD IDEA BREWING: Among the Knight Foundation grantees was Downtown Streets Team, which received $25,000 for a coffee station initiative that could provide a little caffeinated jolt for downtown dwellers and a big economic boost for the homeless in the form of jobs. Next month, Downtown Streets plans to open a coffee station at the corner of Market and Santa Clara Street, right outside the Glass House event venue. More funds are being raised for a mobile cafe — dubbed “Kartma” — that will provide caffeine and baked treats at St. James Park and other locations.

Chad Bojorquez, Downtown Streets’ director of services, was one of the driving forces behind the plan, and he told me at a kickoff event Tuesday that it feels incredible to get the idea off the ground. “I’m looking forward to what everyone else is looking forward to, which is being open for business.”

Downtown Streets has partnered with Santa Clara’s Chromatic Coffee to provide the java, and I’m told that the baked goods will come from Devine Grind, a coffeehouse near St. James Park. That means they won’t be so much competing with local operations as partnering with them. And the best thing, of course, are the jobs that it’ll provide for folks who really need them.

JONES GIVES BACK: San Jose State alum and former Oakland Raiders player James Jones lived in Family Supportive Housing’s San Jose Family Shelter as a child with his mother. So it’s no surprise that Jones and his wife, Tamika, have made Family Supportive Housing a beneficiary of the fifth annual Toast 2 Success cocktail party, taking place Saturday at the Fairmont San Jose.

The event, which runs from 6 to 10 p.m., will include live and silent auctions and entertainment from saxophonist Mike Phillips. Tickets are $50, and you can get more information at http://lovejones4kids.com.

Sal Pizarro has written the Around Town column for The Mercury News since 2005. His column covers the people and events surrounding the cultural scene in Silicon Valley. In addition, he writes Cocktail Chronicles, a feature column on Silicon Valley bars and nightclubs.